14/06/2025
Flags on Council Van Spark Debate
A Central Goldfields Shire Council van has triggered debate throughout Maryborough and surrounds, after locals noticed the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and LGBTQIA+ Pride flags prominently displayed on the vehicle – but no Australian flag.
The van, affectionately named The Gold (short for Goldfields Outreach Learning and Development), was unveiled two years ago during a photo opportunity, and is operated by the Goldfields Family Centre – located in the old KFC building at 100 Napier Street.
The centre provides maternal and child health services, vaccinations, long day care, family day care, kindergarten, and supported playgroups. The van itself acts as a mobile service to support families across the shire.
Photos and descriptions of the decorated vehicle began circulating online last week, generating heated discussion amongst members of the Maryborough & Goldfields Community Facebook group.
While some welcomed the flags as a sign of progress and inclusion, others slammed it as political virtue signalling – and questioned why the Australian flag was excluded altogether.
“This is disgraceful,” wrote the author of the initial post. “No wonder this Council is called woke. I did send an email to the Mayor a few weeks ago, but no reply, let alone an acknowledgement that my email was received.”
Another comment read, “Really, that is offensive to Aussies. I'm disgusted by our shire doing that.”
“Excluding the Australian flag is a blatant and intentional act to provoke and alienate the wider community,” another resident posted.
“This selective display dismisses the unifying symbol of our nation, prioritising a narrow ideological stance over inclusivity for all Australians,” he added. “It’s a disgraceful move that fuels division and demands a response from the council to justify this exclusion.”
Others took aim at the broader political tone they felt the Council was taking, with one saying, “Go woke, go broke – oh wait, Victoria already is. Thanks, Dan & Jacinta.”
Another commented, “The council are woke beyond a joke, UN yes men to the core – just a lackey branch of the state government.”
But many residents pushed back on the outrage, arguing the flags were simply a gesture of inclusion and support for groups that have historically faced discrimination.
“Imagine getting mad about something so inconsequential,” one post read. “Fascinating what some people are scared of.”
“It’s not about division, but inclusion,” another person wrote. “It’s about letting people who face discrimination every day know that they won't be discriminated against, and that they are included.”
Others called for perspective. “I’ve seen the vehicle,” noted one local resident. “Have you heard the saying of ‘making a mountain out of a molehill’?” he asked.
“The fact that some here are clutching their pearls in horror is beyond belief,” he continued. “There are a lot of serious issues in our township and shire that could really use the abundance of energy that this post has generated.”
While there has been no official response from the Council or Goldfields Family Centre – nor is there expected to be – the debate has certainly brought to the surface broader questions about representation, symbolism and local identity.